Thursday, 19 November 2009

Fog drifted up from the ground as wispy clouds scudded across the twin moons of Mannslieb and Morrslieb, the latter casting a sickly green glow through the night.A shadowy, robed figure strode purposefully through the graveyard, occasionally looking about as if checking for witnesses.It reached a large mausoleum and stopped at the heavy stone door.

The hands of the figure transcribed a series of fluid movements in the air as it intoned mystical words in low tone, breath condensing as greenish mist in the moonlit air.Slowly the doors swung back with a loud grinding noise. Once they were open the figure looked around once more and darted inside.

Inside the mausoleum stretched ahead with a cobwebby corridor before opening up in a chamber with a stone sarcophagus in the centre. Several other chambers connected the main room.The robed shadow walked to the top of the sarcophagus and stood taking in the surroundings. Overhead a lantern was burning with an unnatural blue fire throwing the carvings depicting the occupant's former life into stark relief.Once again the figure began gesticulating mystically and after a short time the lid of the stone coffin began to rumble open.

For a while nothing happened.

Then a blue glow emanated from the sarcophagus itself and a figure began to rise from within.Ancient, bejewelled armour sparkled in the witch light and bony features where lit blue.The air disappeared in the chamber as the rising figure spoke: